Reusing activities & more

[AB27]

So with this application I'm a little conflicted on how to best organize my activities. 

1. For the employment section, is it best to include activities that take place during the school year (showing ability to handle multiple responsibilities) or to also highlight work experience prior to university? The job that I did during school I would also like to include in the leadership section so I'm not sure if I should double list it or place it in one or the other.

2. Again with reusing activities, I have some life experiences that I would also like to also talk about in the personal highlights, is this a problem?

3. Are awards looked upon favorably in the life experience/achievements section or should I leave them out? I have some academic awards above the typical entrance scholarship/deans list.

4. Is LGBT stuff ok to talk about or would it be better to omit just in case?

5. Has anyone gotten in with 2 or 3 activities in one section and/or reusing activities with different descriptions?

Sorry for the giant list (I like lists lol) and thanks in advance for any help!

[garceyues]

1) I wouldn't double list an activity unless one of the sections is the life highlights section, as that is more a place to expand and elaborate. If you have two different roles within the same organization or something akin to that, I think it would be appropriate to list it under any two sections, although I wouldn't call that double listing in the first place. There isn't really a right or wrong for putting activities during the school year or not- I would try to show as much diversity, commitment, and growth as possible. Sorry if that’s vague, but med school applications do have a large element of subjectivity!

2) As per my first point, I do think it would be okay to reuse things for the personal highlights section as it is more so a place to expand.

3) This is ultimately up to you, but I would consider what the award entails and how much it reflects upon your "life experience." If you got an award that was tied to some sort of endeavor or initiative you started, I think that’s more than appropriate! Tying an award into an activity helps to emphasize that you excelled in that area. If its not a particularly prestigious academic scholarship, I would maybe consider putting something else that might show a bit more depth to who you are as an applicant. I listed two somewhat polarized scenarios to exemplify my point, but you ultimately want to make sure your awards and achievements have the same signifance behind them as any another activity.

4) Absolutely! I know some people who got in with several LGBT centric activities. 

5) I know a couple who had 3 activities in one section but that was it, but that is just me and my limited pool of peers. I think diversity in your commitments in important, but if you scramble to fill up the boxes it will be apparent to the file reviewers. Try to curate long term and meaningful activities.

 

[Med2be]

I had experiences where they were long term activities with many different commitments, and within them I also had a formal leadership role. I listed one under volunteer and the other in leadership. You could call this double listing but the activities themselves were significant enough even though there fell under the same "activity" if that makes sense. 

I filled out most of my activities, but only had 3/4 for volunteering. 

As for your LGBTQ entry, I would approach this like any other life experience/ diversity entry involving a personal experience. Try and stray away about too much of a description or story and focus on what impact it has had on you. Personally for me, I didn't want to seem like I was asking for a second look based on some anecdotal adversity I may or may not have faced. It's much harder for someone to score you that way vs exploring what you've learned and how it has shaped who you are.